Air chuck



Patented Aug.. 5, 1924,

' rasata rar .JAMES W. PRICE, 0F TULSA, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR TO TULSA INVENTION COM- PANY, OF TULSA, QKLAHOMA, A CGB'POl/ATION.

' Ain CHUCK.

Application led November 16, 1922. Serial No. 601,377.

To @ZZ-whom t ,may concern:

Be it known thatl, JAMES W. PRICE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tulsa, in the county of Tulsa andV State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Air Chucks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in air valves, commonly known as air chucks, and consists of the constructions, combinations, and mode 'of voperation herein described and claimed. y An object of the invention is to provide an air chuck which can be set for any desired pressure of air with which `it is'desired to fill a tire, a suitable indication being given to the operator when such pressure is reached. so thathe may be warned to remove the chuck.

A further object of the invention is to provide an airl chuck which has a thumb piece slidable beside a scale ofV pressures and having an arrangement for varying a certain leverage, the leverage being overcome when the pressure of air in the tire corresponds with the indication in the scale at which the thumb piece is set.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating the general aspect of the improved air chuck,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section,

Fig. 3 is a plan view,

Figf4 is a detail cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, Y

Fig. 5 is a detail enlarged section of parts of the valve mechanism at the left of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the lever piston, A

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the valve piston,

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the thumb piece, and i Fig. 9V is detail perspective viewfof the 4slider which,corresponds to the weight arm of a lever.

Every motorist is familiar 'with the valve devices on the ends of the length of hose in front of gasoline filling stations which furnish compressed air for the inflation of automobile tires free of charge. These valve devices have become known as air chucks, and

y the invent-ion, relating to such, is so termed in the following description and claims.

The construction comprises a body l which has an upstanding wall 2 (Fig. 2) defining a chamber '3 in which a lever 4 is located. The chamber 3 is closed by a lid 5, vbut this lid has a'narrow longitudinal slot 6 and a wider communicating slot 7. The lid is fastened on the bodyby any suitable securing means, screws 8 being shown merely as an illustration of such means.

A thumb piece 9 occupies the larger slot 7. It has a shank 10 which extends through the slot 6 into the chamber 3. Here it has connection with a slider ll'which, in turn, vhas a spring extensionV 12, rounded at 13, to slidably bear on the lever 4. The shank l() of the thumb piece has a portion cut out at 14 (Fig. 8) so as to define Vtwo legs which are inserted in correspondingopenings in the slider and then upset, very 'much the same as an ordinary rivet would be upset.

There is a purpose, other than providing the two legs, in cutting the shank 10 at 14. The upper wall of this cut out place furnishes a foundation, as it were, to rest upon the upper side of the slider and keep the thumb piece in proper relation to the slider. Vere it not for this foundation, there is a possibilitybf the shank 10 becoming loose and working through the slider, and inrany event, causing an annoyance which the i simple remedy illustrated easily avoids.

The slider 11 isa little wider than the springiextension 12 (Fig. 4). The slider 4 occupies grooves 15 in the sides of the chamber 3, or rather in the sides ofthewall 2 near the top. The grooves 1 5 furnish guides for the slide, and thus relieve the thumb piece 9 of any tendency to bind in the slot 7. It is desirable that -the thumb piece 9 and spring extension 12 be capable of free movement. Y

There isv anarrow 16, or any other suitable indicating mark, on the top surface of the thumb piece. This top surface is also suitably roughened according to a common practice. The arrow registers with the calibrations 17 of a scale engraved or otherwise impressed on the hd 5v at one side of the yslot 7. Tt Ais to be observed that this side is a little wider than the opposite side. The obvious purpose is to provide more room los for the scale 17. There is no particularI virtue in this specific arrangement because both the scale and thumb piece may be ai'- rangedotherwise without afl'ecting the invention itself. y

A pin 18 serves as the ulcrum for the lever 4. The opposite end of this lever has a rounded head 19 which bears on a lever piston 20 in a bore 21 in the valve head 22. This bore communicates with a duct 23 which leads to a passage2e communicating with the atmosphere. The upper end of this passage terminates in an upstanding valve ring or seat 25, and the gasket 26 o1' a valve piston 27 rests on this seat so as to normally obstruct the passage o1' air from the valve ichamber 28.

This cham-ber has communication with a bore 29 through which the compressed air passes from the nipple 30 and the usual hose connection (not shown). The pressure of air is suflicient to keep the valve piston 27 seated, but in order to anticipate a possible sticking of the piston, a spring 31 is ar ranged to bear on top of the piston.

A screw plug 32 furnishes a seat for the upper end of the spring. This screw plug bears on a washer which prevents leakage of air from the valve chamber 28. The valve piston 27 is tluted at 34 (Fig. 7 to provide peripheral air passages. The diameter of the valve piston is substantially the same as that of the vchamber 28, and this keeps the piston from rattling.

It is to be observed that the valve seat 25 stands above the bottom or' the chamber 28. Its outside diameter is not as great as the recess 35 which contains the gasket 26. The purpose of this arrangement. is: repeated seating of the piston will wear and compress the gasket. I1 the valve seat were large enough to extend over the area of the e);- posed metallic part ot the piston, leakage of air would result. As it is. the valve seat can press far into the gasket and never allow the air to leak past.

A stem 37 depends from the valve piston 27. This stem has a -iattened or spade end 38. It looks like a lcone in side elevation in Fig. 2, but is in fact arranged as shown in Fig. 7. The spade end rests upon the valve tube 39 (dotted lines in F 7) and a downward pressure on `the air chuck will lift the valve piston 27 and let the air through from the valve chamber 28.

The lower extremity of the valve head 22 is recessed at l0 to receive a rubber washer 41. This rubber washer intended to press on the end of the valve tube 39 and prevent air 'from escaping in a lilling` operation. The oriice 42 in the center of the washer is purposely made smaller than the passage 211 so as to guard against the escape of air, in Filling, should the air chuck be placed slightly olii center on the valve tube 39. A metal washer 43 holds-the washer 41 in place. This in turn is secured by screws (not shown) or other suitable means.

At one side o1' the bore 21 there is an oiiice L11 at which the air escapes with a hissing sound when the pressure of air in the tire equals the adjusted leverage and the lever piston 2O is raised in the bore as a result of the pressure equalization. The hissing sound would ordinarily constitute a suiiicient warning for the operator to remove the air chuck, but vin order to make such warning plainer, a 4reed 4-5 (Fig. 5) is fitted in the orifice let Yin any suitable way as to cause the escaping air to vibrate it.

Certain minor details of yconstruction consist or" making the central v`hole in the gasket 26 sufficiently larger than the stem V37 to readily -enable pulling the gasket -over the spade end 38. Another detail consistsin making 'the lid 5 with a depending: ange at the leztt end to close the left end of the chamber 3. wall of the chamber. The slots 6 and 7 are shown as falling short of the left end of the lid be'causeit is not necessary that they lextend full length unless the scale 17 be made `longer to include greater pressures.

The operation may be readilv `understood with the above construction in mind. The

Cil

This flange ato-rms the other Y operator .grasps the air chuck in -one hand and slides the thumb piece 9 along the scale 17 until the arrow 16 points to the pressure at which he wishes the air to be the tire;

Sliding the thumb piece 9 along the slot 7 moves the slider11 in Vthe lgrooves 15 and also the rounded end 13 of the extension 12 over the lever 1. The eXtension12, although designated as a spring extension, is in practice rigid enough to fully perform the function ot a weight arm in a lever of the particular type represented in Fig. 2.

The reader can see at once 'that the farther the end 13 is moved away from the fulcrum 18, the greater willA be the pressure or torce required on the free end 19 :of the lever to rock it upon the fulcrum. For eX- ample, if the arrow 16 be moved to the 4calibration 80, a greater force will be required at the end 19 to rock the lever than if it were moved lto the calibration 603. Y

But assume that the operator has moved the thumb piece so that the arrow registers with the calibration 80. He now sets the valve yhead 22 over the valve stem 39 and presses down. The engagement of the spade end 38 unseats the valve piston 27 so that air 'Hows into the tire. The operator must press down suliicient'ly hard to bring the washer 411 into contact with therim of the valve stein 39 and thus prevent the escape ot' air.

Air `will continue to flow into the tnxJ until the pressure beneathV the lever piston 2O and rounded end 19 (force arm) equals and slightly exceeds the pressure represented by the position of the point 13 (Weight arm) of the slider l1. Immediately, upon reaching this condition, the piston 20 will rise until the oritice 44: is uncovered, Where-- upon the operator Will be warned by the hissing sound oi'v the escaping air.

Besides issuing a Warning, the orifice la has the function of a safety device.` Inasmuch as it permits the escape of excess air, it presents over-inflation of the tire and a possible bursting thereof in the event of any inattention from the operator.

lNhile the construction and arrangement of the improved air chuck as herein described and claimed, is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim l. An air chuck of the character described comprising a chambered body having guide grooves, and a communicating bore, said bore merging With an air pressure duct and having an orifice, a lever situated in the chamber, a slide which is movable in the grooves, a lid having communicating slots of Which one is occupied by a thumb piece and the other by a shank Which extends into connection With the slide, means associated with both the lid and thumb piece by which the slide can be set to various positions in respect to the lever, and a piston situated Ain said communicating bore covering said orifice and bearing on the lever to overcome the pressure of the slide when the air pressure in the duct approximates the pressure at which it is set, said piston then uncovering said orifice.

2. An air chuck comprising a body having an upstanding Wall defining a chamber, a head having a bore communicating with the chamber and having arelieil orifice leading from the bore, a piston in the bore covering the orifice, a lever pivoted in the chamber engaging one end of the piston, a lid mounted upon said Wall to complete the chamber, said lid having a pair of slots, a thumb piece slidable in one slot and having a shank extending through the other into the chamber, and means carried by the shank slidable along the lever to vary the pressure upon said piston.

3. An air chuck comprising a body having an upstanding Wall defining a chamber, a head having a bore communicating with the chamber and having a relief orifice leading from the bore, a piston in the bore covering the orifice, a lever pivoted in the chamber engaging one end of the piston, a lid mounted upon said Wall to complete the chamber, said lid having a pair of slots, a thumb piece slidable in one slot, a shank carried by the thumb piece extending through the other slot into the chamber and having a cut out portion providing legs and a foundation, and means slidable along the lever to vary the pressure on the piston including a portion held against said foundation by said legs.

4. An air chuck comprising a body having an upstanding Wall with opposing internal grooves, a head having a bore and a relief orifice, a piston in the bore closing the orifice, a lid applied to the Wall to deline a chamber With Which said bore communicates, said lid having a narrow and a Wide slot, a lever pivoted in the chamber having a. head bearing on one end of the piston, a thumb piece slidable in the Wide slot, a shank carried thereby extending through the narrow slot into the chamber, a spring engaging the lever, and a slider, of which said spring is a part, occupying said grooves said shank having a cut-out portion providing legs to receive the slider and a foundation against which said slider is held by the legs.

JAMES W. PRICE. 

